


Supernova

by GemmaRose



Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2013-07-19
Packaged: 2017-12-20 17:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/889917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know how stars aren't immortal, and that eventually, they supernova, and with the biggest stars, they collapse back in on themselves and become a black hole? Well, that's where the very first fearlings came from. </p><p>If Nightlight's species is simply a kind of humanoid light source that isn't really a star but isn't really a human, then logically, they would have an equivalent. Because in their lives they spread goodness and merriment and all around up everyone's moods with their mere presence, when star children die, they become fearlings, which infect the very air with insanity. </p><p>A sad fact of life, but that's simply a natural part of a stars life cycle.  As an explanation for why Nightlight isn't in the movie... he was kinda already millions of years old by the time the book plotline began.</p><p>de-anon from rotg-kink</p>
            </blockquote>





	Supernova

Nightlight could feel it beginning in the little cuts and scrapes which littered his body. In a week or two they'd all have been gone, but the last star-child could tell he wouldn't live to see that happen. In his time he'd witnessed many of his his siblings "go Nova", both naturally and at the hand of the very man they's just defeated. At this point he couldn't tell if he'd just lived long enough or if he'd been infected.

No. He whispered to himself, so quietly that Katherine, who sat next to him, heard only a breath. Standing, he looked from Katherine to his crystal dagger and back again. Gritting his teeth, for the very act felt like blasphemy of the highest order, he pulled the weapon from its place as a spear tip and held it out to her. Moonbeam, poor Moonbeam trapped within the weapon Nightlight had carried practically since birth, cried out in distress. Katherine did not hear, and Nightlight forced himself not to as well.

The dagger settled in her palms, and Nightlight felt some of his life go with it. The dagger glowed brightly from both Moonbeam's frantic efforts to escape and Nightlight's ending life dwindling into its crystal blade, and the spectral child found his usual easy grin was harder to wear.

"Nightlight, wha-"

He placed a finger against her lips, smiling sadly. His ever-luminescent skin was dimming, not enough for her to have noticed yet but enough for him to feel the place where Pitch had nicked him in the just-ended battle. Too fast, the change was going too fast. He should've had another hour at least to get out into space and keep from hurting anyone, but at this rate he'd be lucky to get ten minutes. Tricky Nightmare King, poisoning his blade with shadows. No time to think of what to say, no way to put his feelings into words, no possible way she could understand why he had to do this. " _Goodbye, Katherine_."

Her eyes widened as Nightlight dropped the stick which had been his spear, and as he leapt from Nicholas's flying machine he heard her calling after him. "Nightlight!"

He closed his eyes and his ears, letting himself fall faster and faster towards the ocean. The water was a relief against his skin, which burned hotter as it darkened. His lungs filled with cold and salt, and when he tried to propel himself downwards he found his limbs had frozen. He kept sinking head first, the glowing baubles on his clothing which marked his life force flickering out one after another. The water was no longer cool, heating to a boil as he passed through it, and Nightlight let his mind fill with thoughts of his friends.

Nicholas presenting gifts and calling each child by name, even all the Williams. Toothiana with her twin sabres, turning Fearlings to dust with the fiercest look Nightlight had ever seen. Bunnymund leading mechanical eggs into Santoff Clausen for the children to play with. Ombric tucking Katherine into bed. Katherine...

He managed a small smile at the thought of Katherine. How her eyes crinkled when she smiled, her voice when she spoke to Kailash, the way she curled up when she read in her treehouse. For a moment he thought he could hear her laughing, calling for him from up ahead. Then the heat which was consuming him vanished, and he cracked open one eye.

" _Nightlight_!"

He spun, and a grin came to his face. " _Glowbug_!"

His brother leapt over to embrace him, and Nightlight hesitated for only a moment before embracing his fellow starchild. With that one touch his lingering thoughts of Katherine disappeared, and when one of his sisters called he ran to join their eternal game without a single pause.


End file.
